Clear Pro-Life Thinking

Category Archives:Podcast

You can expect an audio blog every Thursday, monthly ERI updates, and occasional live speech/Q&A audios. Pretty soon we’ll also start featuring regular 3-5 minute snippets from the Equipped for Life Course Podcast as well.

When the first Women’s March happened in 2017, I was a senior in College. I was taking women’s studies classes, so I was surrounded by people who were promoting, organizing, and going to the Women’s March. I felt immersed in that culture, and it was a really interesting experience for me.

This post, inspired by that experience, takes that Women’s March and pro-choice activism and looks at what pro-life advocates can learn from what they did right and discusses what we should do differently.

Related Links:

Click here for the Washington Post article about the Women’s March removing New Wave Feminists from the list of official sponsors

Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, “Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion.” Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.

In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Rachel interviews Lori Navrodtzke, a Pregnancy Resource Center counselor and Justice For All volunteer, about how to dialogue with people about abortion if they’ve already had one.

In this clip, Rachel and Lori discuss how to proceed in a conversation if someone does not admit to having had a personal abortion experience. They also give some examples of how to let people know about post-abortive healing, even if they don’t feel like they need it at this time.

At the 2018 Students for Life of America Conference, Timothy Brahm gave a never-before-heard speech on social media dialogue. After the presentation, Tim answered some questions from the audience along with Josh Tijerina from Halcyon, another social media presenter at the conference who presented before Tim did. Below are listed some of the different points that he makes in the speech, in case you would like to jump around:

Problems with Conversations on Social Media:

2:27: When people are in fight mode, they can’t hear you. It is not just about the arguments.

3:43: Social media conversations are extra challenging because they are public, not private

4:33: Social media breeds hypersensitivity to our own brand management.

6:07: The structure of comment threads work against you.

7:12: The “like” system influences how causal observers perceive your writing through an unfair filter.

8:15: People on social media are almost immune from normal social pressures.

10:07: Recent political hostility has conditioned people to be angry online.

11:03: Social media is structured as an engine for constant outrage.

16 Tips for Social Media Dialogue:

16:08: Move your conversation to private message, Skype, or in person as soon as possible.

17:06: Make minimal persuasion goals.

18:00: Be aware of the lack of nonverbal communication.

18:34: Post things with your pro-choice friends in mind.

19:22: Try hard to assume the best about people.

19:34: Take a step back if you’re feeling defensive.

19:57: Point out every piece of common ground.

20:14: Try to only use neutral language.

20:31: Ask lots of clarification questions, make few statements and arguments. Try to wait to do so until the conversation is one-on-one.

20:48: Choose a friendly looking profile picture.

21:17: Don’t name-drop philosophers or logical fallacies.

21:36: Don’t feed the trolls.

22:08: Use links very sparingly.

22:28: Only cite neutral sources. Do not link to pro-life websites.

22:36: Point out when they teach you something.

23:18: Sow intentional, positive seeds with people who you hope to dialogue with someday.

Q and A with Tim Brahm and the other presenter who spoke before him, Josh Tijerina:

25:25: “When is the appropriate time to use snark in dialogues?”

26:39: “In regards to your point about liking pro-choice friend’s comments when you think they are being charitable or gracious in dialogue, do you think that could be misinterpreted or come off as strange to your pro-life friends?”

28:01: “Have you done any studies on the effectiveness of graphic abortion images on social media?”

30:01: “In tip number four, you suggest we post on social media with our pro-choice friends in mind. I am a Christian and this influences my pro-life view, so sometimes I post Christian things or bible verses. What do you think about this?”

Related Links:

Click here for audio where the ERI team tells stories from the SFLA 2018 Conference.

Every other Wednesday we publish a new episode of the Equipped for Life Podcast, available to everyone who purchases our course, “Equipped for Life: A Fresh Approach to Conversations about Abortion.” Generally, these podcast episodes won’t be available to the general public, but we plan on releasing short clips from the episodes every Thursday, to give you a sense of what these podcasts are like.

In this episode of the Equipped for Life Course Podcast, Tim, Rachel, and I finish the six-part series on how to be an effective pro-life advocate on social media. They give 7 more practical tips on argumentation.

This is the last in a series of three pieces that I wrote on the topic of fetus tunnel vision. The first piece defines fetus tunnel vision and gives four arguments for why pro-life people should not have it. The second responds to some concerns and complaints about the piece. And this third piece addresses more questions.

GET THE EQUIPPED FOR LIFE COURSE

We spent years carefully testing arguments against abortion in thousands of conversations all over the country. We have learned which arguments are the most persuasive to today’s pro-choice advocates. We have learned how to communicate them in ways that they find compelling.

Josh has publicly debated leaders from Planned Parenthood, the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL), Georgians for Choice, and one of the leading abortion facilities in Atlanta.

He has been happily married to his wife Hannah for ten years. They have three sons, Noah, William, and Eli. They live near Charlotte, North Carolina.

ABOUT THIS BLOG

This blog is focused on helping pro-life people be “more persuasive and less weird” when they communicate with pro-choice people. We also write about relational apologetics, because we believe that some pro-choice people will not change their mind after a Facebook debate or a conversation on a college campus; they’ll only change their mind because their friend persuaded them.

If you are pro-life and want practical tips for having effective dialogues with pro-choice people, this blog is for you. If you’re pro-choice and you want to explore pro-life ideas without being called names or having your arguments simplified, you will enjoy this blog, as many other pro-choice people do. Check out our top posts >>

SPEAKING

Josh Brahm speaks on topics related to helping pro-life people have better conversations with pro-choice people. These talks include responding to specific pro-choice arguments as well as talks on relational apologetics. Check his availability here >>